Dodgers Broadcaster Reveals Details About Cancer Battle This Year

Maren Angus-Coombs | 2 Hours Ago

Feb 10, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Sportsnet LA broadcasters at 2014 Los Angeles Dodgers preview at Dodger Stadium. From left: Nomar Garciaparra and Alanna Rizzo and Orel Hershiser and Charley Steiner and Vin Scully and John Hartung. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The familiar voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Charley Steiner, has been silent for almost a year — and on Tuesday, during Game 4 of the World Series, the reason was made public on national television.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and broadcaster Joe Davis held up Stand Up To Cancer signs, each with Steiner's name in the space for dedication.

Steiner shared with Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke that he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, in January. Only his closest friends and family were aware of the battle he faced, but after the Dodgers’ victory over the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series, setting up a World Series matchup against the New York Yankees, Steiner received life-changing news: his cancer was in remission.

“Remission is a beautiful word,” he told Plaschke. “Monday was one of those days where it was like, OK, we’re good.”

The World Series holds a special place in Steiner's heart as he is one of the few people in baseball who has worked for both teams. He is feeling a little left out but he did attend Game 1 at Dodger Stadium.

“It’s hard, really hard,” said Steiner. “The World Series happens to be the Yankees, and they happen to be playing the Dodgers, who happen to be my last two employers.”

Steiner's journey was grueling and kept mostly out of the public eye. Battling severe lower back pain, he lost 50 pounds, relied on a wheelchair, and relocated his bed to the first floor of his home because he couldn’t manage stairs. He required full-time nursing care.

“He did not want to be the story,” said Rick Monday, his longtime broadcast partner. “I can’t imagine how challenging it has been for him.”

Although he visited Dodger Stadium a few times this season to work a few innings, it came with great difficulty.

“But it hurt. It hurt bad,” Steiner shared.

“I could talk and do all the things one does for a living, but the difficulty was remaining upright for an extended period of time, so after only three or four innings, I was toast,” he told the New York Post.

For Steiner, this year was supposed to be celebratory.

“I’ve had incredibly mixed emotions. I should be there, I wanna be there, I’ve been there 20 years, but these are the cards I’ve been dealt,” he said. “This year was supposed to be so great — I turned 75, it’s my 20th with the Dodgers … but it’s been a pain in the ass.”

Looking ahead, Steiner plans to return to the broadcast booth for the 2025 season, taking life one day at a time as he works toward that goal.